What is a ‘brainbow’?

The ‘brainbow’ method of looking at the brain uses a combination of genetic technologies and cell staining techniques. Staining neurons with three or more fluorescent proteins can generate up to 90 different colours, resulting in a ‘brainbow’. Brainbows are helping scientists get better at mapping the brain and nervous system’s complex tangle of neurons. They could also help track the development of the nervous system in the embryo, and give new insight into the origins of brain disorders.